story8054.xml

story8054.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-22

The first thing I remember of September 11th is not that the weather was gorgeous (though it was), or of the thousands of lives lost (God bless), but that I was both extremely comfortable, and also extremely tired. That Tuesday was our second cross country meet of the season, so the team was dressed in pajamas. Also, my summer chemistry project was due that morning, so, of course, I?d stayed up much of the night doing it.

The morning proceeded like most, myself trying to stay awake during chemistry; I?m sure I failed. After that I probably enjoyed the break between first and second block. But I don?t remember.
During history a friend of mine walked in, late, yet, of course, excused. He?s notorious for having ?appointments? when major assignments are due. When he came in he told our class that ?a plane flew into the world trade towers.? When I first heard this, I laughed. The image in my head was so surreal. A plane?into a building? At the time I had no idea how much that fact would affect myself and those around me. As it sank, we all had questions. But our teacher moved us along into history.

A little later, though I don?t remember how long, our principal came onto the loudspeaker. He told us what had happened in New York, and also what had just happened at the Pentagon. After this confirmation, our teacher turned the T.V. on, and we saw what had happened.

I think I was actually the first in my class to cry. This is strange, for me, because I don?t cry much, or very easily. I was worried because my dad, who sometimes has meetings at the Pentagon, was on a business trip, as he often is. However, I had failed to pay attention to where he was, or when he might be on a plane. I worried because most of the flights that had been high jacked were from one of the airports that my dad flies in and out of. Plus, I think just the association of the Pentagon and government scared me.

The weirdest thing is that I?ll never forget that we were allowed to use our cell phones, which we weren?t even supposed to have at school. I?ll also always appreciate this, as we spent much of our day on phones, trying to get in touch with people whose whereabouts we were unsure of. Because Springfield is only about twenty minutes from Washington, many of the student at my school have parents who work at the Pentagon, or if not there, in another building for the government or military.

All after-school events were cancelled, including the cross-country meet, so after school I went to my friend?s house, where she, another friend, and I watched Comedy Central-it was the only station that didn?t have something of the attacks. That night I remember going online and talking to all of my friends, each of us sharing rumors and stories of people we knew. Luckily, no one knew anyone who had died, though we found out later that two siblings at our school lost their dad at the Pentagon, and it was rumored that another girl had as well, though she apparently didn?t want to publicize this. Also, my family is friends with another, and the father was injured, but it fine now.

That night I also listened to Mr. Bush?s address with my family, and watched news footage at a different friend?s house.
Because Springfield is so close, and many students and teachers have family working in Washington, our county had school off on the 12th. That day was weird. It felt like summer. It was that hot, and two friends and I spent the day walking around our neighborhood, playing with our friend?s two-year old sister.

We returned to school on Thursday, solemnly mourning, yet joyful and full of pride. That Friday there was a candlelight vigil along some of the roads in our area of Springfield. This is one of my favorite things that my friends and I did in response to the attacks. It was great to come together as a community, sharing hope with strangers as well as friends. It was a beautiful sight, too.

It is becoming hackneyed, but since the attacks it?s true: nothing has changed, yet everything has changed. It?s one big contradiction. People are more accepting of one another, more friendly; yet they are also more weary and ready to judge. Hope and triumph are ever present, but so is fearful anticipation. I don?t even know what to think, or hope, or even expect anymore. I guess we?ll just see.